GEOLOGIC ASPECTS OF THE 17TH AVENUE CANAL FAILURE IN HURRICANE KATRINA

Hurricane Katrina was the most costly natural disaster in U.S. history. The hurricane generated a storm surge that ultimately led to the failure of numerous levees in New Orleans and the surrounding metropolitan region. The ensuing floods left 80 percent of New Orleans below water for many weeks and resulted in the death of over 1,300 people. This presentation will discuss the critical role of engineering geology in the failures of the Lake Pontchartrain canals in New Orleans, focusing on the catastrophic breaching of the 17th Avenue Canal. The presenter is a member of both the American Society of Civil Engineers Levee Assessment Team (LAT) that performed a reconnaissance of the region shortly after the Hurricane, and the National Science Foundation-supported Independent Levee Investigation Team (ILIT) that conducted forensic analyses of the levee systems failures in the event.